A Faint Heart of Home
by ZocoLP
Summary: Skip, skip, skip. She had skipped across the daisy field once, joyful of herself. She had never remembered a time in her life when she was more joyful. She skipped some more, and then fell. She scraped her knee on the grass. She cursed herself. Blood poured out and stained the grass. She looked out and tried to call out. Those who were with her disappeared. (Janna X OC)
1. Faint Home

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOMAS!**

**A second attempt at his birthday story, as the first one was an utter disaster. This is a continuation of it before, and only the ones who read it will understand, although I feel as if you can all understand as well once you read. Many inside jokes are compiled in here, so I apologize if you don't understand everything. Also, if I forgot any inside jokes, I'm sorry. But anyways, enjoy!**

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><p>"... and as we further investigate this new situation over Noxian and Ionian border policies, we will wait longer on a court ruling to determine the severity of the situation, and once it is done we will await a verdict and a final statement… As many of you may have heard rumors of within the past week, the League of Legends has made a decision to affect Valoran's future. With the approval of all city states partaking in the event and after months of heated discussion, the Institute of War declines further responsibility of the champions housed and will be featuring a full scale shutdown in the near future. Champions will be safely discharged of their contracts with the League of Legends and, after the shutdown occurs, be safely returned to their city states. The same rule applies to all of the summoners. Although, as many of you may know, many current summoners came to the Institute of War in search of a home. With this in mind throughout all of the city-states of whom partook in the League of Legends, rapid maneuvers are being taken to expand the residential areas of the cities as fast as possible. Please note that the shutdown was just now officially announced; no date on when the shutdown will actually occur has been announced. The Prince of Demacia, Jarvan IV, who is also a champion of the League of Legends, can dictate the situation across the continent as devastating. Jarvan said, quote, "Although Demacia is one of the most populated cities currently in all of Valoran, many residents who moved to the Institute when it was first constructed will now be returning. With the great fear of overpopulation spreading within our government, we've decided to focus our efforts into expanding our residencies, so that those who come home will be greeted with a place to live. I feel as if I can speak for all of the other cities when I say this." Jarvan's words can not go unheard of, so if you know someone who doesn't know about this, pass this information along to them... On a more uplifting note, Captain Teemo of the Bandle City Swift Scouts has finally declared to the public of his romantic relationship with the Meggling Commando, Tristana -"<p>

Just then did the television shut off with a loud warp sound that filled the rest of the apartment. The sound of the news broadcast that had filled the room disappeared, replaced with nothing. The screen was black, displaying nothing. The light that showed through the little crevices in his curtain shined down onto his bare feet. But it can only relate, as the area he was sitting in was soon to be demolished: this light displayed nothing.

He let his arm fall down in front of him with no motivation to pick it back up, and not caring when the battery of the television remote control fell out when he accidentally banged it against the coffee table in front of him. Soft feelings were erased as his back slowly grinded upwards against the couch he was sitting in front of, and the rug that he was sitting on let his leg slide across it without the rash feeling of rugburn. The boy cradled his knees close to him and hugged his arms tight around them; the position gave others a feeling of a newborn baby being completely birthed from their mother's womb. Instead an indecipherable layer of blue covered his body, and the blue fully represented the depression he had just begun to suffer.

Thomas knew this situation all too well. The moment of realization, and realizing that there is nothing that he can do about it. He had felt it once before. That day back in the beautiful outskirts of Demacia. Where it rained almost every night and goats would wake him up early in the morning. He would remember the light being seeped through the small holes in his curtain. How the oven wouldn't cook in the morning until he had the willpower to stand up, turn on the oven, and overcook his breakfast.

It was what he had once called home.

He could remember the night causing his room to go dark. The first light he saw kindled a disaster, causing that curtain to almost send burning ashes over his eyes. His bedroom door evaporated. His front door eviscerated. His roof collapsed. And the faint Noxian crest on a man that ran by.

It could not have happened then, but it did. Just at the time he was most relaxed. And the same situation applied here. It was an abasement to his existence.

He could not leave. He would die if he left now.

Thomas balled his fist in anger and slammed down upon the coffee table, grinding his teeth to the force of it, shaking at the thought of it. It took every ounce of willpower to not shout mindlessly at the television screen and disturb the neighbors who were only a thin wall's width away. One wrong slip up could mean him leaving here earlier, then this would mean that this was the last time comparing his filthy apartment room here at the Institute of War to the one he used to have.

To live a life of luxury would be undeserving to him.

His thoughts consisted mainly of the hatred for life he had ever since that day. And even after making many new friends here, those bonds will now be severed by this black flame that disintegrates anything in its path, and if the electrically charged sword could cut through anything, it surely just cut open a huge hole in his life. He thinks nothing could fix it. Or relate to it…

It not only burdened him, but seemed to have a significant impact on everyone around him. Some days were just not the same. Feelings are known to be contagious, and his certainly were.

That was just the reason he would make the excuse for. Yes. He'd say that he was too down to go out today and enjoy the remainder of time he had left here all by his lonesome. Then they'd have to concede to his thought. Yes. That would be joyful… if he didn't want to see his friends. Things would at least be more entertaining with his (nimrod) brother here, as much as he despised the fool. A flurry of conversation could come about, or a spree of arguments and hatred. Thomas was the only one to know those times with his brother, as he was the only one to turn south and walk away at the moment of his accidental death.

"Hmph." He chuckled to himself. He could only ridicule himself for his over-convoluting set of thoughts. It might just be better to go outside. At least it would free his mind.

Shaking his head he finally put his hands to his side and pushed himself upwards. Standing on his own feet blood finally decided to pump through him again, and that might have been just enough motivation. He kept his curtains closed (for his own mental sake). The light that poured through had changed direction just slightly, now peering one small beam into the small closet-sized room that he called his bathroom. Thomas followed the beam, taking the very few steps needed to round the small corner and enter the room with a sink and mirror in front of him, toilet on one side, and shower on the other. He rubbed his eyes and looked up.

A cold shiver was sent down his spine. Inside his head he heard the sharp sound of an old fingernail drag itself along dead wood. It was aggravating, like chalk on a chalkboard. Uneven strands of hair emerged from the creature's face, and its snout grew out of figure. It was completely disfigured, but familiar. A manikin could pose a better figure of a human. Was the creature human? It certainly regarded itself as one; although many would say otherwise. Hell, even the author would...

Oh, it was only his own reflection.

He turned the knob to the sink and quickly splashed cold water on his face and looked up again. It had not looked liked he had seen the light of day in ages. A caveman would be proud of the beard he had grown, and his hair had extended past the point in which it was most comfortable for him. The lump of hair probably consisted of half of his pillow. Knowingly, Thomas quickly grabbed a razor and took his time to shave it off. No matter how much he liked it, it certainly didn't look nice. And he wanted to at least look half-decent for the remainder of him here.

After he was done and satisfied with himself turning from a caveman to a pillock, a smile came about his face. Maybe this day wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would be. He left the bathroom and proceeded to his wardrobe where he had put on a basic blue shirt along with a fully zipped grey sweater and black jeans, as well as bending over to equip a pair of socks and shoes. When he had finished readying himself, he stepped to his front door, took a deep breath, and turned the knob.

The door creaked open and no sunlight filled the room, mainly because this was his apartment within the building. If it wasn't for this, he'd have to adjust to the bright sun sooner. A faded brown wallpaper dulled down the long hallway just like its accommodation of the players within the Bronze Building's hopes to get out of there some day, but being placed upon the fifth floor was more than enough of a hassle. At least he was above the other players in one way. Jumping to attention, he wandered down the bare hallway, went down the stairs, and exited the main lobby without any distractions.

It was the beginning of December. Snow fell down little by little out of the sky, leaving a fluffy snow carpet to layer the ground. The sun shone far away from Runeterra, and in return it gave the blessing of light without stripping the world of its winter privilege. Although currently it was covered by clouds, light managed to warp around them and brightened the way.

The pathways that were supposedly there were now hidden due to the snow, although a commoner here would know his way around without the guidance anyways. Knowing his destination, he took off to the right of the his home, passing the apartment's sign which read "_Bronze Apartment Building #27"_ along the way.

The path he took was the path most traveled, and unlike the hallways of his apartment building the streets seemed lively today. As he was going to, friendly groups of fellow summoners made about their day by joining together on the streets to converse. Most of the conversations Thomas had overheard normally consisted of a League match and how it went so well or so poorly for them. The more entertaining ones were the latter. He could relate to them, but he always found it comical when other people began complaining, and sometimes bickering with their friends about possible things that could've gone better. The tempers of summoners definitely had their own psyche, some of which Thomas couldn't quite understand. However he had one of his own. Guess he could be considered a hypocrite in that respect.

He chuckled again at his thoughts. The buildings that he had passed only housed more residents, and he was quite surprised that not many people were leaving at this time in the morning. For the summoners, volunteering at the top of the Institute was a privilege as they sometimes got to meet the champions personally. Sadly, to Thomas, this privilege was only granted to those in Gold and above. A fact that Thomas would kick himself for, and be extremely jealous of his friends for. Well, two of them, at least. However, that didn't mean that champions were not allowed to talk to summoners below that rank. He knew a select few who talk to certain champions quite often.

It took Thomas several minutes of walking to come about his destination. Though it was not the most prominent area of the entire Institute of War, it certainly held sentimental value with him. After all, not everyone comes to the same spot everyday where they remember being sucked through a wormhole and teleported to another land. Most people would be scared. A large field stood before Thomas, and like always during the winter time, nobody seems to be traversing the sheet of white before him. It looked abore. Any dabber of color would stand out like a taw amongst small marbles. He didn't mind looking over the area any further, as that was literally all of the detail he could make out. If someone was watching behind him, they would conclude that he was proceeding to wander out into the middle of nowhere. However, Thomas knew where he was going.

And like the analogy, the color's that he thought of became a reality. A patch of unnatural color came into his view in front of a tree off in the distance. He offered no hesitation but to move forward. As he knew but somewhat doubted, his friends wouldn't kill him upon seeing him…

"Why do we never decide to murder him whenever we see him?" Thomas could make out a female voice, but couldn't quite tell what she was saying.

"That's a great question that I wish I knew the answer to." He heard another familiar voice say.

"We could just make snowballs and throw it at him." A different female voice said.

"Should we waste so much effort on him though? He's Bronze 5 and has no hope." He heard a male voice say, and could make out his mouth move as he lay flat on the ground. Meanwhile, his eyes transitioned a small bit over.

"I think so."

"It won't work, ya know?"

"Who cares? At least we can still hurt him. That's the whole point, right?"

"Ehh, I guess you're right."

_-thwack!-_

"Oww!" Thomas exclaimed and jumped up in a brief period of pain as a pretty large snowball came into contact with his knee. He looked down to examine his now white spotted jeans to overhear them laughing out loud ahead of him. "_Why am I friends with such dicks?"_

"That was uncalled for, ya know!" He shouted out, looking back up bristled. Without a doubt it only prompted the five sitting there to laugh more.

The base of the tree clustered three people on it, all three of them leaning their backs against it at a different angle. A common theme between all three of them was that they all wore the same clothes they would wear everyday in this type of weather. A sweater and jeans were all they needed to keep warm. However, Oly was the only one to double up on sweaters. He leaned awkwardly on the tree, as the two sweaters made his upper torso look uncomfortably stiff. Oly didn't seem to be shivering as he probably would in this type of weather, and it made Thomas laugh. They'd been at the Institute of War for five years and he still hadn't become accustomed to the snow. Next to him was Max, as one could tell as he was the only one in the group that actively wore glasses. He had one knee propped up and the other leg straight forward, causing his sweater to barely bulk up over his mouth.

The third figure sitting next to the tree would probably easily murder Thomas whenever she had the chance for how many jokes he has made about her in the past. As a result, Oly created an unofficial restraining order that Alicia could not be within ten feet of Thomas or else Alicia gained the right to beat him up. However, that didn't necessarily mean that she couldn't throw stuff at him. Her mittens patted down on another ball of snow which she was so cautiously calculating to be heavy enough to make Thomas suffer again. Her dark and long brown hair was combed neatly down and only disturbed by small snow pieces. The challenging smirk on her face led him to strongly believe that she was the one that incapacitated his knee.

"That's exactly my intention." Alicia responded, looking back down and meticulously carving out her next snowball. Thomas stopped walking at this point at sat down, carefully measuring ten feet, and marking the closing of the circle the five had made. He looked at Max.

"Mate, you better find somethin' to fill her pouch or else we'll be seein' blood at the barbie tonight." Thomas said in the most inaccurate, profounding, and provocative Australian accent ever! Not only did Alicia shoot Thomas a death glare, everyone else glanced at him unpleasantly as well (although Oly did hold back a small chuckle).

"You better watch out deadhead. If what they say about us and crocodiles is true, I could take you down with one hand tied behind my back." She retorted, echoing her braggart nature they had come to adore. When given a challenge of wits, she was tenacious and wouldn't back down easily. Her tirades were educational to listen to.

"I can't believe that's the first thing you said when you got here…" Oly mumbled, putting his hand up to his forehead.

"Yeah! Seriously! Like, what the fuck Thomas!" The second female voice said. Across to the right was Brice, who was casually sitting on the snow. However, like Oly, it didn't seem natural for her to be wearing a sweatshirt, especially one that large. Either the reason was that the cold would've instantly given her hypothermia without one, or the dang thing was just too big. Everything besides that was normal. Her countenance looked disgusted and sorry for her friend that she had to put up with this. It seemed too familiar to him. "You just love to disturb the peace, don't you?"

He scratched behind his head nervously. "Yeah, I guess so." He said with a smile convincing enough to make Brice spare his life for another day. Actually, everyone here could kill him. It was rather the unfortunate scenario.

"Really, Brice?" Oly said from the side. Brice looked over.

"What?" She exasperated.

"Do you expect him to take you seriously when you look like that?" He complained. "_Yes!...!"_ Brice looked down to examine herself.

"Like what?" She asked, and Oly exhaled.

"We had this conversation already. You look like a damned penguin!" Oly exaggerated.

"What the f-, I look nothing like a penguin!" She yelled at him, again looking back down at herself trying to spot the similarities. Oly gawked and pointed with both hands at her arms, which were extremely stiff and straight due to the size of the sweater.

"Get up and walk right now then! Waddle your way over to Nick!"

"Not to me, someone else." Nick's voice was heard from the opposite side of Brice, projecting upwards into the snowy day. Everyone looked over at him as he lay on the ground, not caring if anyone found him staring up at the sky was odd. The oddity on him was that he was the only one pursuing a scarf, which was wound up around his neck where only one end hung loose on his chest. "I don't want to be disturbed right now."

"Yeah, that might not be the best idea. We don't want Brice to trip onto him." Oly teased.

"You're a faggot."

"Ok then, lets restart! Shall we?" Alicia said. Even though those words seemed fake, everyone obliged by it.

"Did you all hear the news?" Thomas broached.

"Yeah. It's really unfortunate, but at least we can all go back home for a change." Oly said, somewhat optimistically. Both Thomas and Max eyed him with a somewhat annoyed expression. "What?"

"It's good for you, at least." Thomas mumbled under his breath, somewhat depressed. They all knew his situation but mostly disregarded it due to the notification that new homes will be given. Hey, maybe Nick will be his neighbor. "You only want to go back because of the yordles."

"Not really." Oly said, and put his hands behind his head. "Bandle is a nice place. Very peaceful with nothing much to disturb you."

"Wow, you're a total bitch." Alicia commented with a smug expression, and again shooting an asserting smile.

"And what about you then?" Oly asked back, challenging her aggressive tone and replicating that smile. "Where are you off to?"

Alicia rose a prideful fist into the air. "Back home to Zaun! Back to where I can kick ass myself without a set of bullshit rules." She said. She crossed her arms. "Like seriously. If a group of boys walks up to me I should be able to kick their asses…"

"Yeah, that's certainly why I set a restraining order for you and Thomas."

"I'm happy you did, or else he'd be dead by now."

"I can release it if you want."

"Gladly."

"Hey, hey, hey! Too much!" Thomas recoiled and swayed his hands in the air in defense. Both Alicia and Oly chuckled and, behind Max, gave each other the friendly fist bump.

"What about you, Max?" Alicia asked, nudging Max's shoulder with her own.

"Noxus. Enough said." He's always been one for Noxus; even though it was primarily interest in the champions that hailed from there, Max didn't mind the life there. It was just interesting enough to keep him entertained. Although all of them knew that he likes it there for more than just that reason. Alicia glared and snickered knowing this.

"Jeez Max. You're really decisive when it comes to _her_, aren't you?"

"Just because she lives there doesn't mean that I only want to go back just for her."

"Oh, well aren't you a robust man than?" She teased, and Max slightly blushed under the pressure Alicia was (and had always) put him under in situations like this.

"Nick, I'm assuming you're going back to Demacia?" Thomas asked.

"Yup." Nick said nonchalantly and, throughout this conversation, has not reacted at all to what anyone has said. Nick's reasons for going back to Demacia were the same as Max's to go back to Noxus.

"And Brice?"

"I'm not sure." Brice put her hand on her chin, no matter how difficult it was to keep it there. Time past and snow blew by as she thought. "Freljord would be an interesting place to live, although Zaun would be a bit closer to Piltover just in case I'd want to go there."

"Just in case you needed to borough Caitlyn's sniper for whenever Oly walks in?" Alicia proposed, and if the thought wasn't in Brice's head before it was probably now.

"Pfft. You'd be more of a threat." Oly unintentionally dissed himself.

"Aww, thank you. I'm flattered." Oly stuck a tongue out at her.

"What about you, Thomas? Where will you be heading?" Max asked. As he said that, everyone but Nick looked at him anxious for a response. Although they were, Thomas didn't quite have a response. He'd guess that the most legitimate answer would be back to Demacia, and that maybe him and Nick could possibly be neighbors (despite Nick's probable disposition on agreeing). Yes, that would be the most plausible solution as of current. He wondered how his mind would cope with that. Living in the place where he had lost everything. "We all know what had happened -"

"Yes, I know." Thomas interrupted. He realized that everyone looked astray at the source of his discomfort. It led to awkwardness; then it was followed by a nerve wracking silence. "I mean... I guess that Demacia is the best place for me."

"Yeah, it'd be for the best... I mean, you wouldn't want to end back up in the Shadow Isles again, haha!" Oly said optimistically, closing his eyes and proceeding to smile like a character in an anime. "You remember that, don't you?"

"Yeah... yeah I do." Thomas said. His voice wavered. He wished now wasn't the time to bring up repressed memories.

"That was a pretty fun time, wasn't it?" Oly asked him, keeping his positive attitude to try to lighten his mood. Given this was the topic, it wasn't working. He didn't want Oly to feel down with his optimism, in fact he kind of appreciated it. He cradled his knees and rested his head on them, making it look like he was loafing.

"Wait. What happened?" Alicia asked.

"Max never told you the story?" Alicia shook her head. "Jeez Max. You hide her from us for so long and you don't tell her anything."

"He's a very irresponsible person by the way. It's so annoying sometimes. An affable suggestion: lets take his glasses and dig his own eyeballs out with them! We could then proceed further by taking scissors and cutting his entire tongue out, then using his tongue to suffocate him and shrivel him up. Afterwards we crumple him up like tinfoil into a ball and play soccer with him, and at the same time we use the blood from his dangling intestines as lubricant so we can shove him down one of those tiny trash disposers around here. Then we can here him scream in delightful pain and we can all have a good laugh after! However, of course, this would all be prep for Thomas."

...

"Anyways, continue." She smiled.

As much as Thomas dismayed hearing the story again, he didn't want to interrupt.

"Well it was a wondrous, and accidental, venture into the Shadow Isles that we embarked upon led by yours truly. It was full of wondrous miracles of kittens, doges, and Shreks' that even look like Alicia! _-thwack-_ Owwie! Anyways, along with a few other companions we traveled to survive and, overall,was a bonding experience for all of us."

"You sound like a professional advertiser advertising for a homophobic game Nick made."

"That's not the subject! It was Thomas, Chase, Max and I, and we would've died by ourselves if it weren't for our other friends."

"How much detail are you going to go into with this?" Thomas asked, afraid that with his enthusiasm he might get into subjects that were better left untold.

"I don't know, as much as I feel like." Oly answered. He took a deep breath, realizing his annoying tone. The next he spoke was with a calmer voice, "I was with Ahri for most of the trip, as the entire group became separated a lot. Eventually we met up with Max and Katarina on one side of Thresh's Ward, the exact opposite side that Thomas and Chase were on. Since champion violence isn't restricted off of the Institute, we had to get out alive, or at least them. Ahri, Katarina, Rammus, and..."

Oly's voice trailed off as he started to say the last name but couldn't muster it. As he was talking, he raised a finger up by his mouth to get his point across more sternly, but afterwards turned bent. His eyes roamed towards Thomas, and through both his own and Thomas' expression, Oly had realized he had made a heartbreaking mistake. Thomas' eyes didn't connect with him but instead quivered in the site of the wind blowing the snow in front of him.

"... and yeah! We all got out alive. Happily ever after! Oh, also Kirito died. But who cares. Fuck him." Oly attempted to end as optimistically as when he started. The atmosphere changed when Oly was about to bring up the name; another unwelcomed vibe amongst the group. The only one who had a joyful time listening was Alicia, of whom was greatly intrigued.

A moment of tense silence passed by before Alicia spoke up, "Well… that sounded like a fun journey, I guess."

"Well it'd be more fun if things weren't trying to kill us the entire time." His tone was opposite of optimistic now.

A brief gust of wind blew snow into their faces, but none of them minded it. It melted with a resonating heat that they were all producing.

"Hey… do we have anything planned for tomorrow?" Thomas asked with the intent of already starting to forget about today.

"Not really."

"Whatever you guys plan on doing count me out. I've got stuff to do tomorrow." Nick said while stretching himself out.

"What're you doing?"

"High Council called me down to work on a project regarding Demacia. I have to answer the call."

"Is Quinn going to be there?"

"Yeah, we're partners on it." As they had been for mostly everything in the past year. It made them wonder if Valor ever became jealous since the duo suddenly became a trio.

"What about you Oly? You doing anything with Ahri lately?" Thomas asked.

"Ahri's vacationing in Ionia. Hearing the news, she's probably going to be back a bit earlier. She said the vacation was going to last a week." Although knowing Ahri as well, she wouldn't care. Her lax nature, along with her home in Ionia, would certainly tax the time.

"And Max, how about -"

"Hey shitheads!" Even before speaking of the devil.

If their past experiences of being greeted with a verbal abuse weren't proven, this was a perfect example of it happening. Along with her semi-deep voice (for a woman) resounding even through the snow, it still held the vocal power to beat down even Darius, and Max being one to witness that actually happen he found it more comical than Thomas' osu! skills.

Two figures meandered towards them, both of them easily distinguishable. One strut about as best as she could in the shoes she wore. Her red hair had a hard time staying still with snow dotting it along the way. From the distance they were at she held a smirk for all of them to see, and the faint glisten of one of her teeth resembled her thirst for blood like the Sinister Blade was used to. However her face looked irked and surely she erred. Her "comrade" was skipping about alongside her, being the joyful person that she normally was, and was in fact extremely rare to see her down on anything. Her puerile nature was somewhat the exact opposite of Katarina, and overseeing her long purple hair blow in front of her face, she wondered how anyone in Bandle City could handle such a demented being she knows as Lulu. Lulu looked somewhat like Brice as of current in that state. A sweater was being worn under a faded blue trench coat which was so large for her that the bottom of it was being dragged through the snow.

The whole sequence of events was foggy, although the outcome just somehow happened. It wasn't unexpected, just surprising that Max became so famous so fast (and for that matter, all of them). Within days of returning from the Shadow Isles, matches within the League of Legends had people recognizing his IGN from quotes Katarina had said outside of the game, and boy did rumor spread fast. And also, boy did they hate rumors. Katarina had remembered the time where her and Talon were supposedly dating from the public's perspective. She vomited after even thinking about it. That's why this relationship became an official and public thing. They both loved it, especially Katarina. She knew she had power over him, which could lead to Katarina doing some indescribably embarrassing things to Max in public. Max would never say such horrible things about her, although if Thomas had someone like that do things like that to him he wouldn't hesitate to call them an unbearable cunt to his/her face.

"Hey there." Max greeted first and rose to a greater attention. It was admirable how obedient he was to her. Lulu tugged on Katarina's jacket.

"Do you have to be so mean to them, especially to your boyfriend? We only just got here." The concern in her voice strained Katarina's temper, but she really didn't want to hurt the innocent thing. She remained calm and patted the yordle on her head.

"That's exactly why I am mean to them… _hon_. All of it is in a friendly manner and means no harm at all. Think of words as… a friendly sport, for say." Her motherly voice was crass, but she still tried her hardest. She knelt down to Lulu's height and with a comforting smile she raised a fist. "No mercy!"

"Right! No mercy!" Lulu mimicked Katarina, holding her purple fist up next to hers. Afterwards, she turned to them, "Hey shitheads!"

"Ok, maybe that's too much."

"You're teaching her some very uncharacteristic stuff." Brice commented. Katarina shrugged.

"Eh. The League told me to keep an eye on her until the whole 'Institute is shutting down' issue is resolved. They know how she likes to wander off by herself." Katarina explained, and looked down at her. "She can be a real pain… but she's entertaining company." She looked back and pointed her finger at Max. "You, Oly, and Nick are coming with me."

"Why?"

"The League boss says that he needs some extra hands working construction equipment up at the main office. Knowing how you boys like to jerk off in your free time, I thought that you'd be good with your hands." Her hips wooed them with a taunting swivel which eventually turned her around and she started walking off purposely slowly. Lulu looked dazed by what she had just said, though eventually joined her.

"What about me?" Thomas asked innocently, though to the wrong person. Katarina turned her head back around.

"Sorry but not really so sorry Tom-tom. Amumu caught a cold inside Kraven Manor. We don't need another bronze epidemic."

Katarina stopped momentarily as she heard the three boys stand up behind her and smirked. Nick stuck his hands in his pockets and strode along, not quite caring about any of their conversations. Especially the one Oly had struck up with Lulu about Teemo and Tristana officially being declared as boyfriend and girlfriend. Katarina giggled when she overheard the two, and giggled a little bit more when Max tried to brush shoulders past her. She stuck her arm out, cutting him off.

"What?" He asked, looking at her.

"I'll wait." Katarina lowered her arm just barely so Max could get the jist of what she was referring to.

"Really? Now?"

"Yes now. Don't keep me waiting." Katarina pouted, and although Max knew it was fake, Max intertwined Katarina's hand with his own, making warmth even in the snow. Katarina giggled and beamed again. She made it a habit to loll herself into the arm of his sweater, and afterwards made haste towards the Institute building.

Dumbfounded. Baffled. Confused. Rejected. Thomas lodged himself into the ground, not in the habit for moving right now. He only longed for something positive to happen right now.

"Hey Thomas." Brice called from the side, attracting Thomas' attention. It wasn't everyday where Brice called out to him without someone near as an aid (except in this case, Alicia was one).

"What?"

"Did you get your ribbon?" Ribbon? Thomas looked up and saw Brice holding one in front of him. It was brown but shiny and was indented at its tip. It was threaded through a thin layer of blue and black garland, which seemed as if it could also be used as a lei. "You get one based on your rank. Alicia and I have a bronze one. Max has a silver one, Oly has a gold one, and Nick has a green one."

"No, I haven't actually." Did she expect him to be prideful walking around with a bronze ribbon hanging by his neck or hanging on his door?

"You should. They're only giving it out for a limited time." Alicia said from the side. Thomas looked over, though her focus was on something else. Something off in the distance. Thomas didn't bother trace to trace her eyes.

"Where are they giving them out at?" Thomas said, already getting up from his spot.

"The Champion's Building, east side." Brice pointed in the direction, which was also where Alicia was currently looking at. Now Thomas followed where Brice was pointing, however he couldn't see what Alicia was looking at. Maybe she was just dozing.

"Alright, thanks."

Cold winters weren't new for Thomas. Well, at least not now. His visibility even in the smallest of snowfall was very little considering of how much ground the snow at this part in Valoran covered. The entire place basically became Freljord for the winter, and Ashe was probably very excited for that. However he had much preferred a place where winter was relatable to fall. Even if the snow was replaced by rain, he would be fine as long as the rain did not seep through his roof. As long as he still maintained a pretty view from his house instead of a desolate landscape. A barren world that turned into ashes. And the ashes consuming his world.

_Dammit. Fuck me. God dammit._ He cursed to himself, knocking himself on the head for even thinking about it. Again. He couldn't be so motivated to hit himself like this in public as he walked further on. For once, a pathway came into his line of sight to grant him guidance. He shook his head and got himself into the right mindset. He was set in a regal town in Demacia, the Motherland, about to go meet his brothers at a local bar. Right, that was where he was at.

There was nothing wrong here at all.

Before he knew it he was surrounded by people and buildings again. The ground beneath his feet was not just snow but also stone. The city was welcoming, but also unnerving. Screaming in public should have been accepted as a normal thing to do. That way he could do it and not feel like a total asshole about it later. He stuck his hands in his pockets now and enclosed himself a little further into his mind. Bystanders were just talking about their new ribbons as they walked by, marking that Thomas was pretty close to his destination. Each building was separated by a small alleyway that led to the back of the buildings like old-school towns. They were dark, adding contrast to the bright snow.

Thomas' eyes were stuck to the ground at a forty-five degree angle so he could just barely see the feet of people in case he were to run into someone. His eyes refused to go above that point. Two thirds of his vision were dark from the alleys, and the middle third was the pitch white that he saw.

As he kept walking, a different color made the gradient on his left side. A grey figure annoyingly blocked white from touching black. Immediately his teeth grinded as this sudden change peeved him. Although it had confounded him before. Something about the change was familiar. The outlier… maybe just a self-reflection. He could make out a human wearing a grey jacket, zipped up, and grey sweatpants that completely covered the human's legs. The human cradled and casted a grey shadow upon the small spot the human was not sitting on. The human's face was hidden by the hood that the human wore very far up. Traces of the human's blonde hair fell over the human's face, although Thomas didn't recognize this human. It disturbed him. Greatly.

He had almost passed the Champions Building with that distraction, but luckily the red innards of the building were enough to regard it more important. The insides looked like a cathedral, and was practically as large as one. He hadn't been to the Champions Building much, but that was because there was no reason for him to go to it most of the time. It was the place for players above Gold ranks would come and converse with Champions, and a place where Champions would come and converse with summoners whenever they were bored. However, during the end of the season, the building was being hosted for people wanting to collect their ribbons. Thomas walked and waited in the Bronze line for nearly ten minutes before he was given his preposterous Bronze garnet-lei thingy. He looked at it once, then instantly grimaced. It was merely an insult.

He stepped outside and looked at it again, hopefully expecting to see it a different way in the snow, however to no avail. All the work he had put in this season for nothing but a fucking bronze collector's item and pity that should only be given to League tyros. And with all of the work he has put in this season, he still never made it anywhere. Maybe that's why Katarina didn't take him with her. He didn't know how to climb ladders that well.

A sudden nudge on his shoulder spun him around and made Thomas drop the garland into the snow. Like Katarina's hair, the garland was now tainted with specks of white snow all over it. He looked down and frankly disregarded it, thinking that it was better with a bronze item being trashed like that. Instead he looked over. To his right was the person in the grey jacket. Whoever it was, it seemed like the person was in a hurry. And angry. The person's footprints were deep, meaning that the person was stomping along. He could see the person fading into the distance and felt a strange attraction pulling him forward. His intuition told him to go forward and follow the strange person. The person unnerved him before, and did the same thing now. Just like in League matches, he followed his intuition even though his intuition was almost never right.

The straight path that the person took led directly outside of the Institute of War. Although it was highly recommended for summoners to advise a League official before venturing into the nature of Valoran, Thomas disregarded it for now. He had no clue how far he would be following this person. Probably until his intuition got him into a bad situation and he was forced to turn back. With or without success was the hard part.

Either he was gaining momentum or the person was losing speed. Before he knew it, Thomas was surrounded by a white, snow covered forest, and was gaining speed on the person. Was the person afraid? The person must've heard Thomas' footsteps by now, and must've concluded that he was following for quite some time. He still noticed the deep footprints the person was making. Still mad, Thomas assumed. Very mad, if that. Thomas was an idiot though; of course he would pursue.

A few minutes later, Thomas closed the gap between the two to earshot range.

"Hey!" Thomas called out. He waited, but after a while the person didn't respond. Probably trying to escape Thomas. He was the stalker here. He tried calling out again, still no response, and he couldn't blame the person. He could hear the person's footsteps now though. They were definitely stomps.

"Hello? Can I help you with something?"

"Go away." The person finally spoke in a stern attitude. It was a female. Thomas stopped walking for a second and just stood there. _Go away_. The words echoed in his head. He had considered it, maybe just letting the woman walk off and relieve herself by herself. But Thomas wanted to help. Just this once. He jogged to catch back up to her.

"Excuse me!" He said, slowing to a walk right behind her.

"I said go away!" She said sternly again.

Thomas placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. It turned her around.

"Look ma'am. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but if you give me a chance I'm sure that I can -"

… now the blonde hair that he saw earlier, her upsetting attitude, and her antagonizing tone all made sense.

"J… Janna…"

"What the fuck do you want?"


	2. Faint Sounds

It creaked.

With a loud sound, it creaked. Again. And again. And again.

If the door hadn't creaked, they would have suffocated inside of the room. If the creaking stopped, they would've been dead. It was paramount that it creaked. Excruciating noise to bear pumping in and out. In and out. In and out. Until the noise sounded like it was coming through a space vacuum, and though now he didn't care his partner was still in the room. She was looking away, being polite, straightening things out for the journey on. And if the news didn't start pouring out soon, then maybe they would never find them again and they would be stuck here forever.

And it would just creak again. In and out. Back and forth. And he couldn't get out of his mind how one slip up could be the end for both of them.

He took a big breath of air as he came back above the surface. Night followed through, though there was no daylight ever in this place, and even after the hour they've sequestered here they have observed that light was defunct. These isles were plagued by shadows long ago, and those who wandered from the good land would never return. But they had to try. They had to fight. But they had to rest - it had been a while.

He wiped the water from his eyes. It was one room of which only contained a pool with water that they had used to take the only bath they would ever take in the Shadow Isles. It was refreshing. It was the only source of water that they had found here so far, and even though the water may have been contaminated by Shadow Isle beings in the past, it didn't matter now as it was still potable. As long as he didn't splash water on the papers off on the side, everything would be fine.

He looked forward and saw Janna. She was not looking at him, nor was planning to look at him while he was taking his bath. It was necessary that they stay in this room, or else something from the outside may spot them and then kill them. Janna was exhausted and so was he. He couldn't determine the fate of his other allies, although wherever they are in this place, he sure hoped they would be fine.

"How are they coming along?" He asked, observing what she was doing. From a small mud pile that rose from the cracked flooring, she dipped her finger and drew symbols on a piece of parchment.

"Fine. I highly doubt that any Shadow Isle soul will be able to read them, but that makes it better for us." She sounded exhausted, and he couldn't blame her. "I have four done so far. One more should be fine." She dipped two fingers into the mud pile and withdrew another piece of parchment from the pile. No one piece was the same dimensions.

His eyes dawdled over towards the door and the somber ground behind it. The sound was refreshing, as it made him feel like there was more than only two souls here; however it was also disturbing, making him feel like his head was about to be chopped off. He had imagined that this is what Lulu's shack would look like if it was in the middle of a forest. One small room, holding an alchemy table and food, a chair with a fireplace, and mini-decorations everywhere. A room like this would be the perfect size for it.

"Hey Janna," he asked, "What are we going to do if -"

"We will." Janna interrupted. She was so persistent.

"... what are we going to do when we get back?" He looked over towards her. Her shoulders showed. She was tense. How he ached to go over and massage her shoulders right now, but he couldn't. It was too inappropriate for the time. Though the temptation was trivialized.

"Why are you thinking about that now?" She commented harshly. Maybe his words were just enough to annoy her. He could see her stout face and how she was completely focused on the task at hand. "You are thinking too far forward. What is important is what happens next, and how we get there. You hear me?"

"I know, but -"

"No 'buts'." She accidentally thwacked the parchment. "If you have that mindset, you will become nothing but another ephemeral corpse."

He had the same feeling before. In all of those League matches, and how his friends had always told him the exact same things. Maybe he should surrender just this once. Maybe those words were true.

She had finished the last sign, and had told him to put his clothes on. Once they were, they wasted no time leaving. On the building they had just left, Janna had pasted one sign. As they left, he had hoped one of them would come about the sign.

_May the wind guide us out of this wretched world. Janna, Thomas… forward._

And they heard the sound creak loudly, again, again. In and out. In and out.

* * *

><p>This wind tortured him. Even the times when the wind died down it felt like a big slap across the face.<p>

Some would think he was crazy if he complained that the wind was purposely beating him, although he knew for himself that he was right. He should've known (her) from the moment he began following her that this was not Mother Nature punishing him, but her. If she was also a snow goddess, he knew she wouldn't hesitate to summon a blizzard about now.

The wind had drastically picked up within the past five minutes. Snow was being whipped through the air, onto Thomas' face and all over his clothes. The longer he sat still, the more he began to look like a dalmatian dog, hunching over and grasping himself for warmth. His teeth chattered - _clickity click click click_ - but he had learned mind over matter… it was just good that the snow was the object preventing forest fires here. He calmed quickly and adapted to the cold, setting his back against the bark of a tall tree that lined the pathway. This was the first time he was able to get a good view of Janna.

He felt sorry for the forest. They had to experience five drastic minutes of screams, insults, accusations, and profanity from both of them. The trees, of whom were already trying to survive the cold, had their ears bled out from it. And some trees even gained scratch marks from a growing violence. The trees had wished they could obey Mother Nature's commands and give peace to them, but that privilege was lost when the snowy nation attacked.

Both of their eyes had effervesced fumes; if they were wild animals their mouths would be soaking too. And it was all just from a simple calling. One wrong sight led into this, and now the aftermath that is left over. Disgusting and unneeded.

He had never seen her wear clothes such as this. Even from their winter experiences long ago she'd wear at least only white, but grey was a different taste that he didn't know if his palate liked or not. And even with grey it had nothing on it: no logos about the League of Legends, nothing from Ionia or Zaun, nothing about her winning the Victorious skin. It was uncharacteristic.

Thomas thought about how this entire situation was uncharacteristic. The very few times he had heard Janna yell were not meant for something this intense, more or less scream. He noted the fact that her hair was not completely straight like it normally was, either. Regarding that the wind may have caused it, there was a natural magic to her that in most winds, her hair would never become frizzled like it was now, and now she was like this. Broken up. By her? By him? He tried to be as calm as possible, but that didn't work. He had tried to apologize; that didn't work. He had tried to convince her that what he did wasn't wrong, but that wasn't right either.

The wind was once by his side, and when it was he had developed a notable increase in his success. Now that it wasn't, it justified that Janna's magic worked spectacular wonders. It had always been by her side - her number one partner, even over Thomas (before the incident). It now battered its enemy and shattered the willpower of anyone that tried to get close to her. What was once a small zephyr that had somehow drawn him towards her was now a hurricane bashing him away. He didn't know what to make of it - he figured - he undermined it.

And there she was. Sitting on top of a small, flat rock, sobbing into her hands, letting the teardrops become icicles as they were cried out. One by one those small crystallized tears were hitting the snowy floor, marking a moment where she would remember crying in the future. She was a fierce person and not one to take nicely. Though she seemed gentle and kind, there was a protective element that surrounded her. It had once surrounded him.

_Do you have any sympathy for me anymore?_

"No!" Janna finally blurted out after the silence. A soft whistle now came about in the wind. She slammed her hands down on her knees, and looked, disgustingly, back at Thomas. "There's no way you're convincing me."

The voice he had mustered before was just drained. All of his stamina for arguing was lost.

"That time was supposed to be _ours_, not _yours_!" She shouted out, standing up on her two feet and grimacing at Thomas, whose arms were crossed and lazily leaning backwards. looking like he didn't even care. "You can't say that you do not care, because you really do care! But because you say it, you can never really care because you do not believe it yourself! _You_ make the excuses! _You_ burden the fate of others! _You_ transgress! _You_ burdened me in the Shadow Isles. But I put up with you. Why? Because I _fucking loved you!_"

She strained her voice too much and stumbled backwards on her own words. Thomas' eyes were looking down and just caught the glimpse of her boots. His eyes began to roam upwards, and all he could see was grey. The grey Janna stood before him, her left foot in front of her right, back hunched over just a tad, and breathing rapidly for breath.

"Have you no pride to say anything?"

"No." Thomas apathetically answered, counting her words as 'bullshit' and disregarding most of them. He continued to avert his eyes. His answer took Janna by surprise.

"No!" She repeated. "You can just say _no_ to someone who used to be your -"

"Your words have no meaning or praise to them and I don't care about what you're saying." Thomas spoke like a robot and sounded programmed. Janna heard the similarities as well. It was frightening.

"Are you downright fucking with me right now? … You couldn't give a damn about what I'm saying because you know it's all true. Should I tell you my perspective, which you probably won't give a damn about as well? Should I tell you how I helped you survive against the Voidreaver, which you couldn't give a damn about. Should I tell you about my exhausting experience to keep us both alive, which you probably couldn't give a damn about. Shall I tell you how I saved your life for you to reunite with your friends, just for you to _**ditch me**_ out in the Shadow Isles for another month, and even _then_ you still wouldn't give a damn?"

Janna felt like vomiting all over him. His demise met her criteria for satisfaction at this point, but knowing him he "just wouldn't care". It was so frustrating, inducing her own demise. It infuriated her to the point where she took the time to back up and slam the nearest tree with her fist. She needed to vent her anger somewhere, and it was out of the Champions' Handbook to commit physical violence against Summoners. Her teeth grinded, her mind was a maelstrom of hate, and her body was being torn. The words she wanted to say were so profound it was ineffable. And it was just seeing his face that kindled her flame.

"Still nothing to say, huh?" Janna mocked, and she was right. She surprisingly walked very close to him, getting in range to bash his shoulder, but her lips were right next to his ear. Janna's icy breaths sent chills down Thomas' spine, and her lips were temptingly close to his neck. But that allurement of hers all changed when she whispered menacingly into his ear, "Good. I hope your uncle pisses on your grave."

Thomas' eyes flung open, and in an instant a flurry of motion caught them both off guard. Thomas swore he just had his back against a tree, but instead he stood tall, and he remembered Janna standing above him, battering him with words, but now her back was against the tree, shriveling as Thomas' hand strangled her at the neck. It was a tsunami of euphoria and her words of inspiration that inspired him to enrage like this. Now he was the one breathing rapidly out of anger. And Janna was the one pinned, grasping both hands around Thomas' arm trying to pry his tight grip off.

"My _uncle_ was a fucking _swine_!" He yelled out, spittle flying out over Janna's face. "Do not talk about him in front of me!" Janna felt Thomas' hand push harder against her neck. If he wasn't to stop soon, he would certainly hurt her. It was due to his inept temper. However he had finally spoke. Janna had revered others for pain, and just those words instigated this masochistic aura.

"Now you're talking, huh?" Janna could barely muster. Though it took a lot of energy out of her, she evilly grinned. She inhaled as best as she could and could only say, "Let's hear some more of it."

"The Institute is going to be shutting down soon! You know what that means, right!? I'm going home! Back to Demacia, back to where everything I had was lost, and the Institute is making me gain again! You know how that makes me feel? That everything I've worked for was just so that the League can pity me now? And then you! Getting special care by the League and universities because of your status when you should be homeless as well!" He now vented, and though he wished he could revise that blabber to make more sense, he had to make deal with it. "I'm not taking the home, Janna. Call me a moron, but I'm not."

"Then where are you going?" Janna asked.

He… he didn't know.

His grip finally loosened enough for Janna to slip back and run a few steps away from him, but when she looked back it seemed he had no inclination to continue going after her. Instead he was still staring where Janna once was. He looked disturbed, longing; Janna was only confused by this.

"I don't know." He said, leaving a blank bubble up in the air for either one of them to fill with words next. However the bubble remained empty for a while. They didn't quite know what had just happened, and it seemed as if this burnout has happened way too many times in the past.

"Think about it then before spitting on me next time." She mocked, wiping her face and eventually crossing her arms. Both stood still for a while but after time had passed, Janna took a step backwards.

"I'm leaving." She said. Her footsteps were loud even through the wind.

"I'm sorry." Thomas managed to say before Janna got out of earshot range. The words made Janna stop in her tracks, though she didn't turn to face him. "I'm sorry for everything." He muttered. At this point, he didn't want Janna to feel any remorse for him. Only hatred. If he had to carry that burden on his shoulders, it was only one thing for him to hold and that he could do.

"If you were, then you would care more."

Janna's footprints were hidden by snow by the time Thomas turned around.

* * *

><p><em>- The next day -<em>

"... and more debates inside the League of Legends are being held to see if this is a suitable approach to the manner. According to a company-run survey within the League of Legends, seventy-eight percent of the workers of whom work at the League of Legends full time agree that this is the best possible solution, so expect the Institute of War to come to a complete shutdown within three days. All summoners better pack their bags and check with the League of Legends transportation officials about details concerning their trips back to -

_- -static noise- -_

- ATTENTION. THIS IS AN URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT COMMENCED BY THE INSTITUTE OF WAR. Janna, also known as the Storm's Fury, has gone missing from the Institute of War grounds. She was reported missing during a roll call that she was scheduled for two days ago, which took place at ten-thirty this morning inside the Courtyard. Janna was last seen leaving the Institute of War grounds at the east exit, closest to the Champions' Building, late last night. If anyone has information regarding her whereabouts and location, report it to the League of Legends Security and Intelligence Center immediately. Thank you for your cooperation. ATTENTION. THIS MESSAGE WILL BE PLAYED AGAIN EXACTLY ONE HOUR FROM NOW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN."

The television went to static just after the message was played. The silence that followed was disturbing, however within a few seconds commotion arose around him, starting his own headache. He was at the epicenter of the once was circle that had surrounded the number of televisions relaying the message. The electronics shop was considerate of the attention, but didn't gain any business out of it.

Thomas heard the people around him begin to talk about Janna's mysterious disappearance. At a low point in his life, he may have rejoiced; hopped up and down that another disturbance in his life was gone, possibly forever. However, he couldn't quite get it out of his head that this was all his fault.

A forensic official would turn him in if he had gone down to the security center now to tell the truth. He wouldn't be able to tell any of his friends about it - knowing them they'd backstab him right away and use some rhetorical explanation to accuse him even more guilty, and either stab him at night or lynch him during the day. And knowing some of them, they wouldn't hesitate to bring it up in front of him.

Thomas turned away and looked down the street. The League of Legends Marketing District was always popular at this time of day. A snow-covered cobblestone pathway took everyone down a place that definitely will not be forgotten when the Institute dies. On every side were interlocking buildings, all of which pertaining to a simple need. Candy shops aligned a good portion of this district, heading right into the middle of the food court. Three other paths branched off of it, heading north, east, and west. The northern pathway connected to the main League of Legends Courtyard. The buildings on all sides were stacked tall, and looked much like Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies. He set his hands in his pockets and moved forward.

Word seemed to move fast. Janna's disappearance seemed to have hit every kid on the street, as most of the people Thomas passed were talking about her. They were suspecting things. Apparently people saw her yesterday as well in the clothes that she was wearing; they were talking about how she looked emotionally depressed, and said how she was just hanging out on the side of a few different alleys, moving once every half hour, not agreeing to talk to anyone that had offered. Janna's status as a top tier support was not to be messed with, and Thomas would be surprised if the League of Legends wasn't taking severe action to find her. Most of the summoners he had passed were concerned. However, more of the toxic ones were satisfied with her disappearance, saying that it would make the League of Legends environment "free of OP's for these last days". Thomas felt the urge to punch them in the face.

He rounded the corner to the food court. The smell of all different types of food filled the air: fresh seafood, classic noodles and ramen, hamburgers and steaks. The best part was that all of that was served all day, every day. Thomas remembered a time where he had bought him, Oly, and Max five deep fried oreos, and somehow his stomach was the only one that couldn't cope with it. He rushed off to a bathroom and vomited there, where alas Oly and Max were perfectly fine somehow. Despite that, he remembered how he had won the _Fastest Eater_ competition in the month of April last year. He managed to chow down ten double-stacked cheeseburgers within five minutes, while the second place winner came nowhere close to that time. Admittedly, he vomited afterwards as well. He spotted no one he knew, so he continued onward.

He rounded the corner again and came across the east-side of the district. Though it was inhabited a fair bit as well, it was much less populated from the west and north sides, which contained shops to purchase skins for a selected champion and souvenirs of them. The plush dolls were never quite his thing, however he had once bought a Teemo hat which lay somewhere in his apartment building; it barely saw the light of day and was short lived, but he used it to pull some funny pranks on his neighbors. The east side was filled with living supplies, and since the League was to close in three days many people came here to sell their existing furniture, trying to make a profit before they leave. It was a smart move, though Thomas never considered it as he didn't really wash his furniture. If he were to bring his couch in, people would probably find food crumbs and bugs all over it. Eww.

He spotted a familiar but unusual pair walking towards him. It was weird to see Alicia without Max around, as that combo was much more recognizable than Alicia walking alongside Oly at this time of day. They were practically wearing the same clothes as yesterday, except this time Alicia was wearing a light blue snow cap fit on her head, and Oly wore a scarf around his neck the same style Nick had worn.

"Hey Snoop-Tom!" He heard Oly call one of his nicknames out from the distance. His eye twitched at Oly's lackluster attitude and normally witty responses. It seemed he could never be serious even in the serious situations. However, that kind of optimism was sometimes always needed, as when an optimistic person fails to be optimistic they bring about a dark attitude within a group. He could praise Oly for that.

"Hiya." Thomas said, and walked up to them -

_-BAM-_

"OWWIE!" Thomas shouted a bit too loudly, attracting the attention of some passersby as he bent over and grasped the pain in his solar plexus. Alicia held up a finger and a satisfied smile.

"Ten-foot rule." She said mockingly. Damn, she packed a punch.

"You didn't remind me, jackass." He said, still crouching over in pain, looking grudgingly at Oly.

"Fuko is sorry, but Fuko wanted that to happen." It took another moment for Thomas to recover his breath. He made super sure to be within ten feet of the demon.

"What are you two doing out?" Thomas asked.

"Well since Nick is busy helping out with Quinn, Katarina took Max away for the day, and Brice is nowhere to be found, we had decided to hang out for the day." Alicia spoke.

"We don't get to hang out a lot, ya' know." Oly claimed. "Besides, I promised to at least buy her Dragonslayer Vayne before the shutdown -"

"And Pool Party Leona. And a Teemo hat. And Mafia Jinx -"

"Are you fuckin… wait, don't you already have Mafia Jinx!"

"Oh no no no. I meant in real life… You know, the costume: Mafia Jinx. So I can walk around looking like her. In Zaun. You know what I'm talking about?" Oly looked braindead as Alicia attempted to explain. Alicia knocked on his head, but it sounded hollow. "Man, you don't have half of a brain, do ya?"

"She's basically sucking me of all of my RP and IP before we leave… and I can't believe you want to walk around Zaun looking like that. _Baka_." Alicia laughed as he tried to wrap his mind around it. Meanwhile Thomas, being already baffled, couldn't help put on a smile at this sight. He didn't know why, but they all seemed to laugh at the explicitly moronic and stupid stuff they do all the time. He had no clue if it was a good thing or not.

"Oh. And Thomas, I've been meaning to ask you this…" Oly began but cut himself off. He put his hand on his chin, "Hmmm. How do I word this… have you heard the news lately?" He asked cautiously, and Thomas knew what he was getting at.

"Yes, I have." Thomas answered normally.

"Do you know anything about that?" Oly asked, and then immediately put his hands in the air. "Not saying that I know that you do know anything about that, I'm just asking since you and Janna were… you know…"

"No, I don't know anything about that." Thomas said sternly. It didn't take two people to notice Thomas already getting heated by the subject, and it brought a heatwave that subsided over them for a couple of moments. They were all silent, but then Alicia caught wind of something.

"Wait, what happened between you and -"

"Oh look at the time! Gotta go before the skin shop closes, haha! Like Nick would say, fuck her right in the pussy!" Oly shut her down right away, grabbing Alicia's wrist and pulling her along with him without her consent. Before he left, Oly shouldered Thomas and whispered, "If you know anything, go after her. For us all" before pulling her along. Though he was glad that Oly was being so alluding with Alicia, he knew that she was going to ask a lot about this later. He drooped his shoulders and contemplated what Oly had said in sullen depression as he continued to hear their conversation when they were way behind him.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that Thomas has this hatred for eyes, and I noticed that he was staring at my eyes for way too long then need be. I don't know why, maybe he's gay for me or something. But then, when he stares at eyes for too long he gets this sudden wave of terror that pervades his body and sends him collapsing. It's pretty funny actually. Once I forced him to eat an eye lollipop... oh man that was funny!"

"Sounds terrifying but amazing at the same time. I'd love to see him twatting out on the ground. It'd be hilarious!"

"Yeah, wouldn't we all… Oh! I'm sorry what I said to you a while ago. You know, about Dragon Trainer Lulu."

"Yeah, you're still a fucking jackass for that!"

"Yeah, well I still say that skin sucks. A Lulu is not Lulu unless she is purple, and that is final."

"You're a moron, aren't you?"

"Not in the slightest, and look at the one talking! Max has shown me some pictures that you've drawn with him, and it makes me wonder what the fuck goes through your head!"

"Nothing as bad as your masturbation fantasies, ya fuckhead! Figures… anyways. Hey can I ask, once we're out of here, where do you think I'll end up? Like, what would I do for a living?"

"Medical expert."

"Medical what-now!?"

"Think about it! You have this weird attraction for hurting people, especially those you draw on paper! Hell, if Dr. Zed can become a doctor, you can certainly become one too! I can picture it now! I get stuck in Zaun and get cursed by a witch where I contract a genitalia disease. I walk into the hospital and they schedule me to have a prostate check up with Nurse Alicia!"

"Yeah, and after that you'd leave without a crotch."

"Unless you're a masochist… Oh gods, are you a masochist? Nevermind then, get away from me."

"Good on ya. Besides, I wouldn't agree to do a checkup with a dick that small."

"Ouch. Harsh."

_I don't think those two will ever stop going back and forth,_ Thomas thought. And he let the snow trickle on top his head of hair. While unnoticeable, the specks produced the frigid atmosphere around him, and at contact with his body heat melted into water that spiraled down until it dripped off and hit the ground. It was the only thing that distracted him from Janna. _Where had she possibly gone?_

* * *

><p>He heard it again. It was creaking again. It was creaking too close.<p>

With the same loud sound it creaked. Again. Again. And again.

A ghostly handprint had stained the metal door in front of them. He put his hand over his thumping chest and pressed down, trying to get his pulse to slow. It was so loud. It was a layer of noise over his ears that he had thought others could hear. Like someone thumping against a piece of wood. Repeatedly. For the past five minutes. And the isolated room would just echo it. A link in the warden's chain; it was the same chain that had almost grabbed them and would've killed them. Just outside there would've been blood against the steel walls. They were so close, but they couldn't move anywhere.

Likewise, Janna was trying to be as silent as possible as she breathed for air rapidly. He hasn't seen her this badly and bruised since she survived with one health point on the Rift. Her clothes were ripped, white strands of fabric were just barely hanging on to the very little clothes she had on to begin with. Dirt and grime covered all parts of her body. She felt miserable, exhausted. Even more exhausted now than before. But she still tried. She still tried her hardest.

They had barely escaped. Green aura of their chaser was being left behind, and the souls that their chaser was holding were screaming for release. The single lightbulb above them flickered on and off rhythmically, and they prayed that that didn't attract their chaser. They could hear the demon's footprints hauntingly echo through the halls. Once they felt he was far enough away, they talked.

"What now?" Thomas asked, though drained of his energy.

"I don't know! I - I don't know! He was just right there!" Janna panicked but continued to remain silent.

"Well we can't just stay here forever."

"I know this, just… just give me some time, ok?" She looked down at herself, ashamed of her situation. If Thomas had known any better he would've knew that she was on the verge of tears. She tried her best; she shut her mouth and only breathed through her nose, and within a minute her breathing became slower, and eventually back to normal. Thomas did the same thing, only later, and the same effect happened. "The… the only exit is on the opposite side of this building from what I had scouted earlier. From my time knowing him, the gate back is only going to last another ten minutes before it shuts, and it will only reopen when he chooses. Since he knows we're here, he won't reopen it until he finds us. Max, Katarina, and the rest had gotten out, but we were too late. This building has eight floors, of none I know what is there or not, and all of it is layered exactly the same. Four columns of hallways, eight offices on each side. One emergency exit located on each floor, leading to the staircase on our side of the building." She said aloud, and Thomas created a visual map in his head like she had.

"The, the, the, the rooftop!" Thomas exclaimed loudly. Janna slapped her hand onto Thomas' mouth and glared alarmingly at him. He nodded and Janna took her hand off, "What about the rooftop? There has to be something up there." Thomas stated much more quietly this time.

"That's true, but we'd have to climb eight floors."

"But we have no time. We have to do something now, or else we'll be trapped here! This is our only chance." Thomas stated. The rooftop wasn't commonly known as the best place to escape, but then, if Janna had remembered correctly, there was a small lake right besides the gate that they could jump into if they had gotten to the rooftop. The exit on the bottom floor wasn't an option, since he was around here somewhere and could spot them easily.

"Ok, lets try it." Janna said and they both nodded. Janna peered outside the crack in the door. She held up her hand and postured herself just right, and so did Thomas.

"Three… two… one… go!"

And the creaking grew loud. It grew louder and louder. The creaking was loud, and could be mistaken for shrieking.

* * *

><p>"ATTENTION. THIS IS AN URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT COMMENCED BY THE INSTITUTE OF WAR. Janna, also known as the Storm's Fury, has gone missing from the Institute of War -"<p>

"SHUTUP!" Thomas bellowed with a sudden wave of rage. His voice had gurgled on itself and swept him over his own boiling point. He swung his arm around like he was about to hit something and swung his body with it. Luckily, he made no contact with anyone, but instead had scared the people around him. Onlookers stared at him, some frightened and others questioning, some laughing and some ignoring. Either way, it brought him back to a sense of reality. The first question that roamed his mind was: _How long have I been standing here?_

All of it was irrelevant. As it clicked in his brain he knew what he had to do. He didn't regard any of the onlookers as he started to storm off towards the east.

It felt the same as it had yesterday. He had passed the alleyway where he had first seen Janna, and in his mind an apparition of her appeared. It haunted him, how he saw her like that. All down and depressed and pessimistic. It was never something that had been seen by the public eye. He figured that she would have the comfort of the other champions. Maybe if he had asked Katarina earlier, she may have obliged to help him. Instead he felt the fool. This had all happened because of him, and in turn it was time to take the necessary responsibility.

The Champions' Building was empty. It was expected; most of the champions were probably within their quarters, dealing with business from their respected city-states and prepping for their trips home. The same was with most summoners, although, as seen earlier, they'd spend their time getting the final products from souvenir shops instead. He had related once. Although the time was already in snowdown, Thomas' mind was literally getting snowed down.

His foot set foot on the path and he walked out. He reconciled his fate and how it had to come down to this. Every step that he heard himself take, he imagined himself going down this deep hole of fate, and that he wished he could change his fate, wishing to be transported elsewhere and commence an invasion on Normandy. Maybe Janna was right. Maybe he was just bound to die as an ephemeral corpse. Every step he took was another step towards his burden. Bound to get off of his chest, he proceeded forward.

Not long did he recognize the area he was in. It was the same part of the path as yesterday. The rock, the tree, and everything around it he had remembered to abhor. He stopped and stared, once again envisioning the events that had happened here in the past. How rough he was to her. He had almost killed her, though she had killed him mentally. It could have been revenge for Janna. She could've just killed him and no one would have noticed him missing. The chance was, sadly, not taken, and he suffered resent. Suffering could only long his desire to reach her. The suffering wouldn't end until it did. Maybe just one kind word to let her know that he was still here, and then maybe he could see her smile. When he could call to attention and she would tease that he was being too serious, or sometimes the other way around. Or maybe just that blonde hair again. It suffocated him. It suffocated him to the point where he was already almost at tears, and could sit and cry on the very same rock that she did. Although that would be selfish of him. He could only damn himself from yesterday and move forward.

How long was this path? It seemed never ending, and after another few minutes of walking he started having second thoughts and began panicking. His brain frantically moving was not enough to conceal his now pallid skin tone. He thought it was obvious that he had been walking in place, but that was not the case. Nothing had changed. It was the same trees, and the same snow that piled on. Although it was the same him, and the same kind of attitude that Janna would expect from him. A slight cowardice, combined with him being a moron. It was the same kind of attitude he needed to overbear. Along with the wind. The wind moved fast. It whacked him once, twice, maybe three times per second, and almost blew him over a couple of times. It made the journey more difficult. It was just payback at its finest.

And then suddenly, it all changed. At the snap of a finger, it was all different. He came out of a massacre blizzard straight into a light snowfall. The hypothermia-inducing weather that Lissandra could've risen switched off and became an innocent _Elsa._ He looked like a man coming out of a storm into a peaceful place that wasn't disturbed. The identical trees disappeared and instead was replaced by a clean slate of snow. A field with nothing on it. It was almost unnatural, and felt the same shape of an atoll.

What was even more unusual was a path of footsteps that weren't his. It trailed out into the distance. Curious, he followed.

Now this was a more peaceful environment. It relaxed him. He could plop down into the snow right now and carve snow angels. What a turnaround.

Soon there was a figure in front of him. A familiar; grey with blonde hair. The sight comforted him, and he had found the missing girl. The more he approached, the more he realized aspects of this environment. This was once a giant grass field that grew many flowers during the summer time. He had heard about this place before, but had never bothered to travel down the path and visit it. Now it was covered in the white snow, and though some may think it as gloomy, it was kind of refreshing. Also as he trekked forward, he noticed that the ground had dropped off in front of Janna. It was a large and sharp cliff. Any drop off would be death. Below was another empty field.

Her back faced him, and like a creature that he suspected to run, he didn't make any sudden movements. Instead he crept up behind her slowly, observing her to see if she did anything sudden. She knew that he was here, and so did he.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Janna said suddenly. It surprised him. She didn't sound hostile in the slightest. Instead she sounded like her normal self. He felt himself relax a little.

"Yeah." He said hesitantly. Thomas stepped forward some. Again, she didn't react. They were standing very close to the edge. Off in the distance, past the field below, he saw another forest begin.

"This area in front of us… this is a cornfield, ya' know? It's just covered up by all of the snow. In the summer and spring times it looks even more beautiful. It feels very natural, like a paradise." Thomas looked at her face as best as he could. Her blue eyes shimmered off of light reflecting from particles of snow, but she was also smiling.

"Do you come here often?" Thomas asked.

"Only when times are hard… this place calms me. Many memories reside here." Slowly she raised her hand into the air. "I also can control the wind here to my liking. Strong wind to bellow down my anger, calm wind to soften my expression." She explained, albeit a bit strange to Thomas.

"The rest of the League is looking for you. They're worried about you."

"Are they? Well they shouldn't be." Her tone deepened. "They're releasing us in a few days, so they shouldn't bother what I do."

"I agree." Thomas had said, but Thomas thought he saw a hint of annoyance twitch her face. "I'm sorry… for everything." His word choice and timing wasn't quite right and made the situation awkward.

"You told me this already, why are you telling me again?"

"Because I thought that saying it to you again, face to face, would show that I care." He could feel the mood changing. He couldn't tell if it was a good thing. Only other noise filled the dead air.

"You always show inconsistency, but you can never admit defeat, can you?" Her adlibbed response caught him off guard. He had never thought of it. He had experienced defeat many times, but all of those times he had put the blame on someone else. He figured that this is what she meant. Before he responded she turned around, and their blue eyes connected. She smiled and said, "I admire that." His heart fluttered. Maybe he was getting somewhere here.

"Are you willing to come back?" Thomas said and, being ambitious, held his hand out. Janna peered at it, then back at him.

A peculiar thought crossed his mind when she lifted her hand and set it atop his.

This shouldn't be right.

It was a short show for a long cliff. The quick dance had flipped them around, and with immaculate precision Janna had managed to slip between his arms and come out the other side, at the same time pulling a blade out of her sweater pocket and holding it up to his neck. It had almost instantaneously cut him, but she pulled back at just the right moment, as well as holding on to his arm so that he couldn't move well. Thomas didn't quite know what had just happened, but he knew he had been duped. A clock struck inside of his head as his back faced the covered cornfield.

"I had fought a well fought war once, both internally and physically. It occurred in a month, where I was _beat_ and _raped_ and _abused __**repeatedly**__. _It didn't have to be that way, but there was once a light where I could've escaped before that time. The light reminded me of what I had once; my pride and my soul. All of that was lost when that faint heart of home diminished and died with me. Now I cannot trust, especially you." Her glare looked exactly like that of Katarina's on a bad day. She pressed the knife harder against his throat and pushed him back one step before he would've fell off of the edge.

"You couldn't care more than the lies you tell me. And if you think that I care for my own life with the League than you are massively mistaken. So, let me ask. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now and end my misery? You have one chance."

He heard the creaking sound again. It was the loudest he's ever heard it.

* * *

><p>-TO BE CONTINUED-<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Hoped you enjoyed! To all of my friends, I tried to capture Alicia's personality as best as I could from the information given. I'm sorry if it wasn't a perfect representation, but I tried my best!<strong>

**Once again, happy birthday Thomas!**


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